1LT Morgan (later promoted to Captain Morgan) first wrote us December 13th, sending in a wish list with the following note. (Later we learned his mother is an English teacher, which perhaps partially explains his way with words)

"I am an Infantry Platoon leader stationed in the eastern portion of the Paktika Provence, Afghanistan. If you watch the news you know that this is a very dangerous and rugged place. My Platoon and I often patrol in some extreme mountain terrain, but thanks to your socks my feet stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
I have about ten pairs of your socks that I have been wearing for years, and not around the house. These socks have made it through Ranger School, Recon Leaders Course, Airborne School, and more. Not to mention close to a year of humping in Afghanistan. These socks have been up mountians, through swamps, and across desserts, and only one of my socks even has a hole in it. As you might have guessed I am a big fan of your socks.
I have submited a request for socks for my platoon of grunts, because I am tired of hearing them whine about their socks and what they do to their feet, and because they are tired of hearing me bragg about my Fox River Socks. Please send these guys some socks so that they to can expereince the comfort and durability of Fox River."

Trae's mother and neighborhood association then rallied to support Trae's list and got phenomenal results! Trae had originally just asked for enough socks for one pair for each of his men. In the end, they were able to get two, and still had leftovers for the other 3 platoons served by their base. The following is a letter of thanks from Trae after he heard about all the support, but had not yet received the first package. (NOTE: some specific location details edited out to protect the troops' security)

"I would like to take a moment to tell you what you and your neighbors' support means to us here in Afghanistan.
We are currently stationed in the Bermel District, Paktika Provence, Afghanistan, and we are trying hard to live up to the proud heritage of the 506th. For those of you who are not geography teachers, Paktika Provence is a rugged province on the edge of the Hindu Kush that borders Pakistan along the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. We are on the frontier, and on a day-to-day basis, we do our job in arguably one of the most dangerous places in the world. Our living conditions are spartan to say the least, and we spend a lot of our time patrolling in the mountains. There are no post exchange or restaurants out here, like there are on some of the bigger bases like Baghram or Kandahar Airfields. To us, even a shower is considered a luxury.
Do not get me wrong, none of us would chose to be anywhere else. An infantryman's place is on the front lines, and we are as to close to a front as you get in this war. I only want you to understand that the boys you are buying socks for are warriors. On a regular basis they carry a heavy load over rugged terrain for miles, so you can imagine how important a good pair of socks can be.
I have worn Fox River Socks for years. They have held up through combat and numerous schools including Airborne, Ranger, and Recon leader. I have put countless miles on Fox River Socks through swamps, deserts, and mountains; they have never failed me. That is why I put my platoon on the wish list. These socks are well worth the price, but for a young enlisted soldier 15 dollars is too much to spend on something that Uncle Sam is going to give you anyway. What I am trying to say is thanks. You will never know how much a simple pair of socks means to us.
We have all been touched by the tremendous outpouring of support from you all. I never thought that our list would be filled so quickly, if at all. Now, we all gather around the computer to see how many socks have been purchased. Not only have you given us socks, but you have boosted the morale around here. Unfortunately this boost was sorely needed, as we had three wounded and one Soldier killed on Christmas Eve. The holidays can be difficult enough when away from home without things like that happening, but you have all served to lift our spirits over the last few days.
I originally requested one pair of socks per Soldier, but you have greatly exceeded the amount requested, so after my Soldiers receive two pairs I will distribute the others to the other platoons here on our base. Again, Thank you!"

And when the first package arrived:

"We received our first shipment of socks on the 6th, and you should have seen the smiles. All the guys gathered around and I threw two pair to most of my soldiers. Later the next day I cuaght some of them buying more socks. I kjnew that they would buy more once they checked them out. I took some pictures, in front of the Christmas tree that we cut down up near the border and brought back on top of one of our MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protective) vehicles, but it will be awhile before I can download them. We read all the notes and appreciate each and every one of them."

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